I Missed You
by TMNTgrl
Summary: Zero didn't expect to have to be saved from the Pantheons that day, much less by someone he hadn't seen in so long. He also didn't expect that he wouldn't want to leave his old friend behind again. Oneshot; set between MMZ1 and MMZ2. Fluffy.


**_A/N: Apparently all I can write lately is oneshots and drabbles. Ah well._**

**_This one's been nagging at me for a while, actually. Set between MMZ1 and MMZ2, in that one-year gap. After all...what did ever happen to our favorite gunslinger after the X series ended?_**

* * *

A green blade flashed through the air, slicing effortlessly through blue metal and sending out a spray of dark vital fluid.

The weapon's wielder took in a heavy breath as the motion sent a stab of pain up his arm. He had been fighting on his own like this for a long time- six months. Or was it seven? He lost track a while ago. It didn't seem to matter any more.

He hadn't taken the time to stop and recharge in days. Part of him knew that he couldn't keep fighting like this forever, but the Pantheons wouldn't afford him a moment of peace.

He turned sharply on his heel and cut three more down, sending another jolt of pain through his shoulder and nearly causing him to drop his saber. As he reached for his gun, the moment of distraction was just long enough for a Pantheon to slam an electrified staff into his side.

A cry of pain escaped him, and he fell with a heavy grunt. He rolled to the side, dodging a plasma shot more by luck than reaction, only to find a second blaster pointed at his head.

"Zero! Watch out!"

The voice barely registered as Zero struggled to push himself up, blinding pain throbbing through the shoulder that he was fairly certain had been dislocated by his rough landing. A kick to the side of the head slammed him back to the ground. "Got . . . verdammt . . ." he gasped. Fighting to cling to consciousness as he was, all he could do was close his eyes and brace himself.

Gunfire rattled around him, followed shortly by the clank of lifeless metal bodies crashing to the ground. Then, it was quiet.

Quiet? He hadn't heart quiet like this in days. Stifling a groan of pain, Zero forced his heavy eyes open. He could make out the Pantheons scattered all around him- what was left of their bullet-ridden bodies, at least. "Wh . . . who . . . ?"

A man with a gun was picking his way through the piles of scrap. Zero opened his mouth to issue a challenge, but before he could so much as lift his head, the last bit of strength left him, and he lapsed into unconsciousness.

When he awoke, the first thing he was aware of was the soft cushion under his head. He opened his eyes slowly, secretly relieved that wherever he was, there wasn't enough light to make his pounding headache any worse. The pain in his shoulder had faded to a dull throb.

He didn't try to sit up right away, instead gazing around the room and trying to take in where he was. The space was small, though not uncomfortably so, and he could see both his saber and his gun set out neatly on the floor next to the couch he was laying on.

"You're awake."

Zero jerked his head around sharply and tried to sit up. "Easy, easy!" the speaker assured quickly, stepping out of the adjacent room and holding up his hands submissively. "It's just me."

He blinked, vaguely recognizing the man with the gun whom he had seen just prior to passing out. He wasn't a man, but a Reploid with dark blue armor and spiky hair. He had a lean body not unlike that of a teenager, and his green eyes, framed by an X-shaped scar, had a teasing light to them. "You . . . saved me," Zero said slowly.

"Of course I did, Zero." The Reploid pulled up a chair alongside the couch and sat down, holding out a mug of some kind of warm, steaming liquid. "Here," he offered. "Hot lithium. It'll help recharge your systems."

Zero sat up and took the mug a bit hesitantly. "How do you know my name?" he rasped, coughing to clear his dry throat. "And why did you save me?"

"_Duh_. You're my best friend; why wouldn't I save you?"

Zero squinted in confusion.

The Reploid's face fell slightly. "Don't you remember?"

"I . . ." Zero shook his head slowly. "I've been asleep for a long time. Hibernation sickness. I don't . . . remember everything just yet."

"But . . ." The Reploid placed a hand on Zero's arm, causing him to tense. "Easy, Zero, I'm not gonna hurt you. It's me- your friend. _Axl_."

"Axl?" Zero's brow furrowed slightly as he groped for his fleeting memories of the name. A destroyed highway, the crack of a pistol, a cocky smirk and bright, cheerful laughter . . .

Axl smiled sadly. "It . . . It's okay," he murmured. "You don't have to remember. Drink. It'll make you feel better." He stood up and went into the small, adjacent kitchen. "How's your shoulder?"

"A bit sore," Zero replied after taking a sip of his drink.

"I'm not surprised. You dislocated it." Axl poured a cup of lithium for himself and returned to sit at Zero's side again.

"I figured as much. Did you . . . fix me?"

Axl took a long drink. "Best as I could without any feedback from my patient. I've been doing repairs on myself for so long that it's become second nature."

"You did a good job." Zero flexed his shoulder experimentally. "Where are we?"

"Abandoned studio flat," Axl said with a shrug. "Since the Maverick Hunters disbanded and X . . . left . . . I've gone back to my roots as a vigilante. This place is small, but it's home. Sorta."

Zero took another sip of his lithium, finding that it eased the pain in his shoulder somewhat. "Vigilante?" he echoed.

"Yep." The sad smile was back on Axl's face, and he was gazing at his cup as though lost in thought. "I've never exactly been seen as hero material. Not like you and X. People remember 'Axl the prototype', or 'that kid with the gun', not 'Axl the hero'. Still . . ." He drew a soft sigh. "It's been lonely without you guys."

Zero slowly sat up and set his empty mug aside. "I'm sorry to hear that, Axl. But don't forget, you saved me. That's an act of heroism." He reached down to pick up his saber. "I should go. The fight isn't over."

"Ohhhhh no you don't." Axl batted Zero's hand away from the weapon. "You're in no shape to fight right now; just look at yourself. You're not going _anywhere_ without _my_ say-so."

"Axl . . ." Somehow, the scolding sounded familiar. Had X ever said something similar to him? Or . . . had he, himself, spoken those words to X? Or to Axl, for that matter? "Don't patronize me. I'm fine." He stood up, reaching for his saber once again.

Axl's foot shot out in a low sweep, taking Zero's legs out from underneath him. Almost as soon as Zero hit the ground, a heavy weight settled down on his back to pin him down. "Hey! What was that for?!" He twisted his head around to glare up at the spiky-haired Reploid.

He was met by a playful, knowing smile. "Zero." Axl stifled a laugh. "If an old man like me can pin you like this, whaddaya think a gang of twenty or thirty drones are gonna do?" He slowly got to his feet, his joints rasping faintly as he moved.

Zero sat up with a dissatisfied grunt. "Now lie down and rest," Axl chuckled. "I'll keep an eye on things for a while. And don't go trying to sneak off or I'll drag your ass right back here and tie you down!"

"All right, all right. No need to get pushy." Zero settled himself onto the couch and laid his head back.

Axl smiled gently and picked up the empty mug from the floor. "I'm glad to see you, Zero," he murmured. "Relax and get some rest for a little while, okay?"

Zero closed his eyes with an almost imperceptible nod.

Since Axl seemed adamant on Zero doing little more to exert himself than standing and stretching his legs, he contented himself with quiet observation. The more time he spent there, the more he felt a sense of familiarity. The memories were faint and fleeting, but the teasing smirk and the laughter in his eyes, the smarmy attitude- he _knew_ those mannerisms.

And he knew something was off.

For one, he noticed the way Axl moved with a stiffness uncharacteristic of his youthful demeanor. "Are you injured?" Zero finally asked after hearing Axl's sharp intake of breath as he stood up from a crouch.

"Nah." Axl laughed softly. "Just an old prototype. I don't think this body could handle joining the Resistance."

"The engineer there could fix you up," Zero pointed out. "Cerveau."

Axl shook his head. "I'll do more good on my own at this point. I can slip in and out and keep a low profile so that no one knows whose side I'm on. No one remembers my face, and I think it's safer this way."

"I remember," Zero said quietly. "Maybe not specifics, but . . . it's there. I'm sure X does, too."

Axl smiled slightly.

"Besides," Zero added, "yours is a hard face to forget."

Axl began to laugh at that. "Was that supposed to be a joke, a compliment, or an insult?"

Zero remained silent, keeping a perfectly straight face. "Ah . . ." Axl shook his head tiredly. "I've missed you, Zero. You . . . you have no idea how lonely it's been without you guys."

Zero blinked at that. Lonely? Yes, he supposed he, himself, had felt a bit lonely since waking up. He hadn't really understood or questioned it up until then; he had simply acted. Fought. "You've been fighting lately?"

"Damn straight. Can't stop doing what I live for." Axl sat down against the wall and leaned back, closing his eyes and folding his hands behind his head. "Besides, I'd get bored otherwise."

Zero watched him with a steady, curious gaze. He thought of the way Axl had taken out the Pantheons, the sharp crack of gunfire, the way the drones had been shot down so quickly and cleanly. "Axl . . ."

_"You have no idea how lonely it's been without you guys."_

He felt a pang of sympathy. It was no wonder Axl kept watching him with a small, sad smile; he knew Zero wouldn't- _couldn_'_t_- stay. Not with a war raging on around them.

The memories were getting clearer. Training, fighting, watching each other's backs, protecting each other . . .

_ "Why did you save me?"_

_ "Duh. You're my best friend."_

Zero . . . _missed_ having a best friend.

"Axl?" he prompted softly.

Axl didn't answer with anything more than a quiet snore. He was sound asleep. With the faintest trace of a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, Zero picked up his gun and stepped outside.

He trained by himself for an hour or so- nothing strenuous, just light target practice and a few stretches to test how his shoulder was healing. His body was far from being at full strength; his tired movements and the cracks in his armor were proof enough of that. Even so, he hadn't felt this recharged in months.

The image of Axl's pained smile was burned into his mind. Deep down, he didn't _want_ to leave his old friend alone again. He was enjoying Axl's company and idle chatter. And he was more than a little worried about the younger Reploid's condition; his body was clearly in dire need of maintenance.

"Your aim's gotten better, Zero."

He turned his head to see Axl watching him from several feet away.

"Still can't match mine though." Axl had a teasing smirk on his face as he approached his elder and held out his hand. "Mind if I see that for a moment?"

Zero nodded and handed over the gun. Axl examined it for a few moments before firing a single shot at the wall of the studio flat. "Sight's off by eight degrees. C'mon."

He went back inside, Zero trailing close behind, and took a small toolkit off of a shelf. Zero watched quietly as Axl sat down in the middle of the floor and began to work on the gun with quick, deft fingers. "Basic model," he said without looking up. "Simple fix, especially compared to mine."

"You're quite good at that," Zero said. He was amazed by the effortless skill with which Axl made several adjustments to the weapon. He and Cerveau would probably get along well, he realized. "You collect guns?"

"Used to." Axl lifted the gun and closed one eye to check the sight. "Back in the day. Call it a hobby or call it an obsession, but I've never lost my love of guns."

"There are some things no amount of time can change," Zero murmured.

Axl smiled faintly and held out the weapon. "Should be good to go. I centered the sight and evened out the rate of fire, among a couple other tweaks."

"Thanks, Axl. I owe you one."

"It's nothing." Axl looked away, as if to hide the pain in his expression. "We're friends. You don't owe me anything."

Zero felt another twist of sympathy, but he didn't speak.

The sound of gunfire jerked Zero out of a light doze. He sat up when his friend stumbled inside, one hand clasped against his shoulder. "Axl?"

"Damn drones," Axl panted. "'Fraid it's not safe here any more, Zero."

"Then it's time I got back to work." Zero hopped lightly to his feet and snatched up his gun and saber. "A week is more than enough rest; I'm slacking." He fixed Axl with a serious gaze. "I'll draw them off. Get out of here and get repaired."

Axl stared at him for a few moments before closing his eyes with that same pained, wavering smile. "Y-yeah. I understand." He looked up to meet Zero's gaze. "Thanks. I'm glad I got to see you."

Zero nodded. He could faintly hear the soft rasp and clank of metal as the Pantheons marched closer. "You'll be all right on your own?" he said at last.

"Don't worry about me." Axl turned his back so that Zero couldn't see the tears brimming in his eyes. "I'll keep fighting until the last bit of energy leaves my core and my body collapses into scrap. Until then, I'll always have your back, even if you don't see me. That's a promise."

For the first time since he'd woken up, Zero smiled- a true smile. He reached out and clasped a hand to his friend's shoulder. "X would be proud of you, Axl. I know I am." He gave Axl a thumbs-up, staying there for just a few moments before pulling his hand away. "Take care of yourself, kid."

"Yeah," Axl whispered. He turned to watch his elder dart off, back into combat, back into the seemingly endless war. "So long, Zero. Thanks for everything." As he headed away in his own direction, he no longer fought against his tears, merely allowing them to slip freely down his cheeks and blur his vision.

_ I'll always have your back, even if you don't see me._

_ That's a promise._

* * *

**_A/N: Typing that last chunk was physically painful. I know a common headcanon is that Axl died somewhere during the Elf Wars, but...I dunno, I thought it'd be interesting to toy with the idea that he's been hiding this whole time, and give him reasons for hiding. Hope you enjoyed, thanks for reading!_**


End file.
